‘Roseanne’ returns with timely oomph
Roseanne Conner and her rowdy family prove you can go home again.
In an unexpectedly potent revival of “Roseanne,” the struggling working-class family returns Tuesday to ABC with timely stories. Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf ) bicker over the 2016 presidential election, a familiar plot in many homes.
Roseanne’s daughters, Becky (Lecy Goranson) and Darlene (Sara Gilbert), battle over jobs and life in general. The show explores school bullying and drug use with humor and pathos.
An ABC staple from 1988 to 1997, the show cleverly works in Sarah Chalke, who played Becky in later seasons. Barr remains sassy yet surprising, and Metcalf ’s wacky bravura is undiminished.
The standouts, however, are Gilbert and John Goodman as Dan, Roseanne’s husband. They are equally adept with the sarcastic lines and the tender moments.
“Roseanne” is a throwback to the shows of producer Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons”). His sitcoms could be personal, popular and politically pertinent. “Roseanne” carries on that style of risky, issues-driven comedy in front of a studio audience.
ABC sticks to the personal in two new filmed sitcoms. “Splitting Up Together,” debuting Tuesday, focuses on spouses who decide to divorce but, for financial reasons, live on the same property with their three precocious kids. The older son has a health problem that breaks new ground for broadcast comedy.
But the attractive leads (Jenna Fischer of “The Office” and Oliver Hudson of “Rules of Engagement”) argue with irritating regularity. They fell out of love, and the sitcom feels like a long, forced push to get them back together.
“Alex, Inc.,” arriving Wednesday and based on the podcast “StartUp,” focuses on a radio producer (Zach Braff of “Scrubs”) who quits his job and rushes to set up his own company.
His understanding wife and two charming kids elevate the family scenes, in which Braff does his best work. The professional quest, however, unfolds with an off-putting, frantic energy that undermines the star and show.
“Roseanne” offers proof that the old-fashioned approach still works. The Conners’ old couch looks mighty inviting. Today, 10:30 p.m. Monday, 9 p.m. Wednesday 9 p.m. Wednesday, 10 p.m.